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Stewart Haas Racing driver Cole Custer grabbed his second NASCAR Xfinity Series pole position in a row. He will now lead the field to the green flag for Call811.com Every Dig. Every Time. 200 at Phoenix Raceway this Saturday, March 9.
Returning to the track where he was crowned the Xfinity champion last season, Custer continued his dominance on the one-mile oval by taking his 20th pole position award in the Xfinity Series.
The #00 Stewart Haas Racing Driver recorded a 27.380s laptime, with Joe Gibbs Racing driver Chandler Smith putting in a time of 27.507s. Corey Heim in the #26 Sam Hunt Racing Toyota will start on the second row, despite putting in the same laptime as Smith. Custer's teammate Riley Herbst starts in the second row.
Justin Allgaier and Sheldon Creed share the third row on the grid, with rookie Jesse Love and JGR veteran Aric Almirola sharing the fourth. John Hunter Nemechek and AJ Allmendinger round off the top-10 qualifiers.
Notable drivers include Parker Kligerman in 12th, Austin Hill in 15th, Hailie Deegan in 19th position, rookie Shane van Gisbergen in 23rd, and Josh Williams and William Byron in the #17 Hendrick Motorsports Chevy lining 27th and 28th, respectively.
Frankie Muniz qualified 35th in his #35 Ford for Joey Gase Motorsports, with Ryan Vargas starting in the final row.
Cole Custer qualified on the pole in last year's spring race at Phoenix Raceway but took home a P12 result. However, he dominated the season finale, leading the most laps, and took the checkered flag en route to winning the Xfinity championship.
You can catch Custer leading the Xfinity field to the green flag at 4:47 PM ET, live on FS1.
Cole Custer reflects on returning to Phoenix Raceway as a champion
During his last visit to the Phoenix Raceway, the #00 Stewart Haas Racing driver pulled off a major upset defeating title favorite John Hunter Nemechek to the Xfinity title, courtesy of his dominant outing at Phoenix Raceway.
Although Cole Custer fondly looks back at the championship race, he remains focused on this weekend's race, aiming to return to the victory lane. When asked about his title triumph at Phoenix Raceway last season, Custer replied (via Speedway Digest):
"It's pretty cool coming back in here through the garage and everything and just kind of remembering how that all went the last time we were here. But at the end of the day, it doesn't owe you anything. Even if you're the champion, it doesn't really matter."
"You got to go out here and make sure you're bringing the intensity to go out there and win like we were last year. So I feel like we do have the potential and the team do it. It's just a matter of putting it all together," he added.
Cole Custer is coming off a second-place finish at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, aiming to convert the pole position to win this weekend.
